Cell Phone Towers & More Pregnancy Risk Myths

Living near a mobile phone tower is not likely to give your unborn baby cancer, says a new study from the Imperial College London's School of Public Health.

According to Medscape.com: "'We found no pattern to suggest that the children of mums living near a [cell phone tower] during pregnancy had a greater risk of developing cancer than those who lived elsewhere,' Dr. Elliot told Medscape Oncology."

Whew. I guess that is one less worry.

I was not aware of the potential danger anyway, but there are so many things pregnant women need to worry about, it's nice to have one off that list.

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In the past few years alone, there have been concerns about:

BPA:

Recent studies have shown that children of pregnant women exposed to bisphenol A (BPA), a common plastic additive, could face an increased risk of breast cancer later in life, something I am very worried about given both my mother and maternal grandmother had the disease.

Tuna:

The concern with tuna is mostly with the level of mercury in the fish. But it's safe for pregnant women to eat in moderation. I, however, did not eat it in moderation and am now paranoid about mercury poisoning.

Caffeine:

A study published in the March 2008 issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology showed pregnant women who had 200 mg or more of caffeine per day had double the risk of miscarriage of those who abstained.

Cats:

The concern with cats is their poop. Apparently they can carry toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease that can cause birth defects. I'll admit, this one was a winner with me since I hate changing the iltter box. If you must change the litter box, use gloves.